St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-09-24

the leVee company had against the stat
s ana or which 81, 100000 had been recog
J. hI2ed by legislative enactment and i'm
Q ptledIy sanctioned by the supreme cour
& OF he United States. Could greater ser
: wee nave been rendered the leveeS thar
0 tnis7 ii this work had not been accom-
4 pHSheu aud the leyeeS had remained
4 uhe1l lne leYee company act at 50 cen Is
: cubic yard how could anything have
| pten done of any importance towards
t rebuilding the levees? The amount
0 saved the state by defeating the large
: claim of the levee company nearly
= equals. If it does not exceed, the total
1 amount OF the fund raised for leyeeS Dy
J general state taxation since the time OF
) governor Nichols advent into power
) ooWn TO the present day.
. faNlhg thus successfully abolished
Ine leVee company and relieved the
STATE or The great burdens which It's
existence imposed. a temporary ex-
ptoienJ was devised for 1877 What
was mat eXpedlenC? The creation OF a
BOARD or engineers with power TO dis
purse III building leyees the remnant
Oh Inc tax OF lN.7. which had been
saved Dy the legislation which abOl-
l0heu the ltFee company. In the next
session OF the Nichols legislature this
temporary eXpedient was supplied by
permanent legislation. That legislation
NNEAIEb TIE BOARD OF ENGINEERS
AND DIVIDED TIE STATE INFO
lENEE DISTRICTS,
levied a general taxation on the whole
| STATE and created commissioners IN each
dlStrlCf, one from each parish with
power TO levy taxation IN the district
| "hlch together with the portion of the
| general engineer fund attributable 10
the district, should constitute the sum
| 70 De expended Oh the leyteS IN each
district. lie wise genera! state system
thus devised by the Nichols admins
tEatl0n IS the system which with imma-
leIlal changes has continued IN force
ever since ana IS IN force to-day. Why.
| my fellow citizens, not only is
| the general system which is in
i fforce today, and which has
| Deem III force during The
whole OF Governor McEnery's admin
| iStratlon, the one devised bv the
Nc hollis administration but IL majorltv
or Tile personnel OF the board war~ r,rr
appointed by Nichols We're en-
created. Who We're the appointees of
Nicholas? Major Iarrod, Major Rich |
aTdson, and the Iameutcd Hartee, !
Major Richardson. Mr. Lew is and Can |
tam Thomson, who constitute a |
majority OF the present board, were |
Identified with the Nichols board. |
Inc TWO last We're employees of The |
Nichols board. The only two members
OF the present board, not members of ,
Inc NICHOLS board, or concerted with |
II, are a gentleman from north LOUIS
lana, from the upper river, Mr.. Smvtue,
and Mr.. Henry Brown. Laughter
IL Is thus perfectly clear that not only
mas the system created 10y the Nichols
government remained III force up to
the present time, but ii majority of the
gentlemen who have carried out that
system were either members OF the
Nichols board or identified with il.
Stranger than this, tho general taxa
ton levied after the establishment of
tins system under the Nichols govern
ment has remained the same under Gov
ernor McEnery that it was under Gov
erlor Nichols. When
ALL THESE THINGS
were referred to in the opening of this |
canvass and were commented on by |
Mr.. Parlange IN his speech at West
baton Rouge, what was the answer
The reply made was: Yes, we will |
not deny that the Nichols admlnistra- |
ton did away with the leyee company
and accomplished these great results,
but we charge that Nichols was inert
and inactive IN the building OF levees,
and that the foundation of Governor Z
McEnery's claim to be eyee governor IS
ais energy III the execution OF the leyee I
avs =
Is this not preposterous claim If |
Inc law was the same and the officers Q
Who enforced II practically the same e
ND the taxation The same, how can c
Governor McEnery deserve credit :
which General Nichols does not de- :.
ervo' The law did not charge Gov a
rnor Nichols with the duty of build |,
ny leVees-1t charged the engineers I
With that duty. II there was any want |;
i energy that want Of energy must be |,
attributable 10 the officers charged with t
he execution of the law. This attack a
therefore, is an attack upon the board a
I engineers itself who have been re- IT
aimed IN office, as | have SAID, since the Il
rIglnal organization OF the board. 1t b
J not only an attack upon the board as | il
I present constituted, but it Is also an | Il
tack upon Major Harrod, who was ie
lade the president of the board by Gov e,
rnor Nichols, and who has since been | VI
allied to the higher and broader field ii
membership of the United States $
yer commission. IS
But LET Us TEST
10 efficiency and energy of the board 90 90
nder Governor Nichols, not by con- q.
cture ana rumor but by facts. In its X
hcIal report for 1880 made to Governor ~
lltZ on the inception ef his official life -,
} governor, the board gave in detail W. ".
le official hgures. In this report the ~ y
bard said: From this exhibit it Will oo
seen that in 1877 ana 1873, !, lS6.71S ~ ~
lblc yards of levee were built for S.:SS,- -
: San average cost of % &c per Gu ~
C yard; and in 1873 and 1879, ,263 ,9l5 ~
bic yards were built for S2}5, 647 10 AT ~
an average cost OF II l-5c per cubic 4;
I'D. During the three years 1SU7-7S and o1
1905 cubic yards were built for
a, o59 IS at an average cost of 10 4-5c
T cubic yard" W.
What marvellous result, What ge
bic showing, 1t challenges compari- Ma
u with any work done since. 1t stands 70
a monument of the energy and the slo
al OF the board of engineers, and 20
lnts out the wisdom OF Governor Cl
cholls' original selection as well as AS
g wisdom and patriotism which re- he
ned the then members of the board w
office, not only during the admins VII
ttlon OF Governor Wilt, but also 2
ring the administration of Governor 20
;Enery up to this time. 10y
Morganza Levee. etl,
5ut an attack is made upon Nichols nar
d the administration of the board
ring his term OF office which, in my bof
mon, is not only tallacious but dis Dor
,enuous. l do not say Intentionally inn
ingenious because l am unwilling Mo
lmpute intentional concealment of 4
It OF suggestion of faIsehood to any 1SSl
ltleman. What is that attack 1t wa.
Isists in charging that Nichols did mol
contemplate the closing of Morganza to
otEeI large cieVasses. IL is predl- stat
ed upon quotation from his mes of +
Q to the general assembly OF 1878. rem,
1t quotation is as follows: This cei,
S not contemplate the closing of the nor,
&c crevasses at Ashton, Diamond onv
md bend. Glasscock, Morganza, Bon com
! Caiio anu o1Aer poln1s. who
express declaration on the part OF on
Ternor Nichols that it was not the sho,